Over the course of a calendar year, there are many traditions at the South Pole. First are the amazingly nice meals that help the station community celebrate special days, such as the solstice, sunrise, sunset, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day. The galley crew cooks up festive and fancy meals these days. Next up are traditions that the folks who stay here all winter long can participate in. For instance, after the station “closes” for the season and all summer crew have departed, the winter staff gather in the gym for a 3-part movie marathon of “The Thing.” There is also the “walk to Mordor,” where participants work out on a cardio training machine for the entirety of all the “Lord of the Rings” movies. There are also traditions during the summer season, and one that I got to experience is unique to the South Pole — the Race Around the World!
The Race Around the World. Being at the geographic South Pole, we have the opportunity to run through all of the world’s time zones in a matter of minutes! Crazy, huh? But pull out a globe, and you’ll see how this is possible. So why not hold a race that goes around all the time zones in the world?
